Friday, September 25, 2020

Poland: Closure of hard coal mines by 2049


 The Inter-Union Protest and Strike Committee established by the trade unions operating in Silesia and the government delegation signed an agreement on the principles and pace of transformation of the mining industry. The last hard coal mine in Poland is to close in 2049. Negotiations have gone on with breaks since last Tuesday. The content of the agreement is now to be sent to the European Commission.

The chairman of the government delegation, deputy minister of state assets, Artur Soboń, assessed that the agreement defines the model of "a fair path to the transformation of the Polish mining and energy industry".

The head of the Silesian-Dąbrowa Solidarity union, Dominik Kolorz, assessed the agreement positively, although he noted that it in fact meant consent to the liquidation - in a long-term perspective - of the Polish mining industry.